NJ Educators interviewed on NJTV

Published on Tuesday, May 6, 2014

NJEA members are featured on NJTV’s “One–on-One with Steve Adubato.” One-on-One has a partnership with Classroom Close-up, NJ.

On Wednesday, Aug. 6 at 7pm on NJTV and 12:30am on WNET Adubato will interview Kristine Burns about the Hedgepeth Williams Story.Ten years before Brown vs Board of Education that put an end to school segregation in the United States, there was Hedgepeth-Williams V. Board of Education. On Jan. 31, 1944 - the New Jersey Supreme Court rule that local school districts and boards of education could not establish separate public schools based on race, color or creed. Paul Robeson Elementary teacher Kristine Burns and her students produced a book about the landmark decision that occurred in their school 70 years ago.

On Friday, Aug. 8 at 7pm & 11:30pm on NJTV and 12:30am on WNET John Scala is interviewed about his planetarium. Lenape Valley Regional High School in Stanhope is home to one of just a few operating planetariums located in New Jersey public schools. When the school opened 26 years ago, they included this unique educational venue where Scala serves as the Planetarium director and educator. He mesmerizes first graders from Byram Lakes Elementary School during their field trip to the high school planetarium. Then he quickly switches his attention to an in-depth discussion about astronomy with his high school students.

On Friday, Aug. 22 at 7pm & 11:30pm on NJTV and 12:30am on WNET Principal Elisio Aleman explains how a school district transforms a failing district, with the looming threat of a state takeover, to the gold standard for good urban education. The answer is through the hard work and long-term vision of educators and the community, reaching out to parents, providing resources for parents and professional development for teachers. Union City is the most densely populated city in the country. 80 percent of the students speak Spanish as their first language, and that same amount of students are on free and reduced lunch. In 2011, 89.4 percent of the students graduated...that’s 15 percent higher than the national average. Nearly 60 percent head to college. Many of the staff and administrators who work in the Union City schools walked in the shoes of the students. They were immigrants or children of immigrants, grew up in Union City and then returned to give back to their community.

On Monday, Aug. 31 at 7pm & 11:30pm on NJTV and 12:30am on WNET Adubato talks to Alex Ishkanian about a puppet show called Helping Drew. Pre-K and Kindergarten students at Teaneck's Bryant Elementary School get an early anti-bullying lesson from a teacher-produced puppet show called "Helping Drew". Elementary school educator Alex Ishkanian combines his passion for the performing arts and his education background to create engaging, dramatic program for elementary-school-aged students.